1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to loudspeakers, and more particularly, to direct radiating loudspeakers and modifying the directivity of sound radiation.
2. Related Art
Automotive sound systems currently suffer from different tonal balance in different listening positions due to the directivity characteristics of direct radiating loudspeakers. Sound energy radiating into the surrounding ambient space within an automobile may result in different tonal balance characteristics depending upon the relative position of the listener to the loudspeaker.
A typical loudspeaker may have a low directivity at low frequencies. The speaker's response may have increased directivity and/or nulls in the frequency response at higher frequencies. Accordingly, the speaker will not provide the same frequency response or tonal quality for each listener depending upon the listener's relative position to the speaker. The response difference may result in reduced high frequency output at some listening positions. Additionally, the response at angles away from a primary axis of the speaker may have a different character from the response on the primary axis. Typically, the different character of the off-axis performance cannot be corrected electronically.